Adjustable packing-pliers.



G. AIGUMMINGS. ADJUSTABLE PACKING PLIERS. APPLICATION ITILED NOV.l8, 1911.

Patented Mar. 1912.

172.09 nil-0P. Cl ar-ezzce JZ 4/ uir ITED sTArns rarnn'r ornion.

oLAnnNon A. CUMMINGS, or rn-Esno, CALIFORNIA.

ADJUSTABLE PACKING-PLIERS;

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 18, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial in. 661,043.

'the spreading pliers which are adapted to hold articles in proper position for adjustment with a suitable pressure thereon.

It is also an object of the invention to provide pliers whichare ada ted to exert a pressure upon the packing material of pack which 5 takeri upon is a detail sectional'view ing glands so that the packing of such glands .may be 'more successfully 'accom plished.

' It is a further object-ofthe invention to provide spreading pliers with-jaws having. adjustable means facilitating the applica tion' of the device to different sized mechahiSlnS, and particularly to facilitate the glands {having larger or packing of valve k smallersi'zed valve stems. In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, lBigure-l is a side elevation of the improved spreading pliers embodying the features .of thisyinvention and showing. the same applied to the stem of a valve. Fig. 2 is a"'detail sectional view the line 2- -2 ofliig. -l. Fig. 3 taken upon the line 3 Fig. 1. Fig. sis

e employed in connection with the' pliers. z

The details and features of the invention will now be more particularly described, reference being. had to the said drawing 'in and 6. represent the members of spreading pliers, the members 6 of which is preferably of an angular character having a straight handle portion 7 a laterally projecting jaw carnying arm 8. The said jaw carrying arm 8 is'usua'lly formed at diverge from thehandle 7' so that pressiu'e "may be eneii'tetion the handles ior operation;

the pliers. The member 5 formed with a .jaw 13' is .upon the justable to a perspective. view of a; removable 13W? adapted to sum jaws are inserted the-rein.

projecting jaw portion 11 which is bifurcated at its end as slip upon. a valve stem or other similar de vice. A'movable jaw 13 is mounted upon the arm 8, and is formed with a slot 14 therein adapted to slip over the said arm 8 and allow of the adjustment or the jaw at different points. upon said arm.

also provided with a bifurcation at its elnd as shown at 15.

stem or other article and be forced apart for exerting pressure upon a packing gland or other device. The jaw 13 is'adjustably held arm 8 by. means of gripping.

in place on the edges 16 and 17which are formed by male ing the ends of the slot 1.4 with inclined surfaces as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1'. Inward. pressure upon the bifurcated end of the jaw 13 will thus cause the edges 16 andl? to bite and hold the jaw firmly thereon. The said jaw 13 can be quickly adjusted to new positions arm 8 by tipping the said jaw so as to disengage the-edges 1e and 17 therefrom.

In. order devices such as valve stems and the like, of different sizes and diameters, the jaWs are preferably provided with removable extension jaws 18 which are preferably formed as shown in perspective in Fig." 4. The extension jaws may be interchangeable so as to be used on either of the plier jaws 11 or L3 and the said entension jaws are formed with. tapering body portions 19 having flanges 20 extending from the sides thereoi and adapted to receive the bifur-- cated ends of the main jaws. The extension jaws are also formed with bifurcated end portions 21, the recesses thereinbeing of a smaller diameter jaws l1 and. 13.

The recesses in both sets of jaws are preferably slightly flared from their inner ends outwardly as disclosed in the whereby they can be made at 12 and thus adapted to l The said The two jaws oft' the pliers may thus he slipped upon a valve grip the said arm 8 and to permit the pliers to be ad than the recesses in the drawing to lit upon d1f-.'

lot

ferent sized articles with facility- The ac same whether the used or theexten- As illus- 1 the extension jaws arein tion or the pliers is the plier jaws 11 and 13 are trated in Fig. place.

i hile the device ad: purposes and :lor the s n-Ln j with respect'to each other, the pli rs are .ble to various or i cles are used upon a the packing in place found especially useful in assisting in the packing of glands or packing boxes of various kinds. U i

As illustrated inthe drawing the pliers valve and when itis intended to pack the stuffing box of the said valve,

the cap 22 of said stufiing box is of course unscrewed and the packing material 23 is then wound snugly in place about the valve stem 24:. It is found that when it is endeavored to pack a gland of this kind with out the use of suitable means for forcing that it is quite ditlicult to use a suflicie'nt amount of packing and yet secure the cap 22 in position. With the present invention after placing a suitable quantity of packing about the stem 24 the pliers are put in position with their jaws embracing the valve stem 24. By spreading the pliers, the jaw 13 having been first approximately adjusted to'theproper spreading distances, the said aws are forced apart, one jaw engaging the handle 26 of the valve as an abutment while the, other is a pressed against the nut ca 22. The pack ing may thus be forced. tig tly into position by the pliers and the nut brought down over the same so as to engage the threads upon the stufiing box when the nut may be turned by anordinary wrench. The pressure of the pliers upon the said nut cap 22 does not interfere in the least with the turnv ing of the nut and makes it possible to accomplish the desired result in an easier and much more effective manner. The packing of stufiin'g boxes surrounding the piston rods may be acco'mplishedin a ,similar manner, any portion of the adjacent machinery being employed as an abutment. The movable and adjustable mounting of the jaw 13 makes it possible to adapt the pliers to noraeos various kinds of'mechanism and the employment of removable jaws also makes it possible to use the. pliers upon devices of different sizes.

.What I claim is:

1. Spreading pliers comprising members pivoted together, one of said members having a work engaging jaw, and an adjustable work engaging jaw carried by the other member, the operation of the said members being capable of forcing the jaws apart to exert pressure upon a g1ven object.

2. Spreading pliers comprising pivoted members having operating handles, one of said members having a laterally projecting arm, an adjustable jaw having gripping means for securing it in different positions upon said lateral arm, and a fixed jaw car-- ried by the other member of the pliers, the drawing together of the handles operating to force the jaws apart. v

3. Spreading pliers comprising members pivot-ally connected having operating handles, one of said members having a bifurcated jaw formed with a tapering recess therein, the other member having a lateral arm, an adjustable jaw thereon, having a tapering recess and removable jaws adapted to be inserted in said tapering recess, the said removable jaws also having bifurcated work engaging portions, the drawing. together of the handles operating to spread the jaws and exert pressure upon a given mechanism. 1

In witness that I claim the foregoing l have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of ,November, 1911.

' O. A, CUMMINGS. Witnesses: T

EDMUND A. STRAUSE, EARLE R. POLLARD. 

